Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker branded 'dangerous and mean-spirited'

A poster depicting Barack Obama as Batman villain The Joker has been called 'mean-spirited and dangerous' by the U.S. President's supporters.

The image, which has been adopted by Mr Obama's critics, shows him wearing the white face paint and smudged red lips of the character most recently played by the late actor Heath Ledger. Beneath the picture reads the word 'socialism'.

Controversy: The poster, which depicts President Barack Obama as Batman villain The Joker has divided U.S. opinion

The creator of the image remains unknown, but the website that first published the image crashed yesterday because so many had been attempting to view it. It has since been spotted in Los Angeles and Atlanta after it appeared in U.S. media.